I am a young Golden Retriever who was a homeless dog, I was moments away from being killed when I was rescued by Golden Retriever Rescue of the Rockies (GRRR), given a foster home, then a forever home. I write this blog to inspire other dogs and humans to help find homes for abandoned dogs. My family takes in fosters now and I help homeless dogs find their way to forever homes. Write me at Mogley.retriever@gmail.com

Saturday, December 24, 2011

Our regular readers know that we have been leading the charge to right a longstanding wrong. The true story of Christmas is that Reindogs pull Santa's sleigh, not reindeer.

Several years ago we first exposed how Reindeer have gotten all the credit for pulling Santa's sleigh, but Reindogs do all the work. This year we are again asking for your help to spread the word and expose this cover up of the truth. As proof that Santa uses Reindogs, we have listed below the facts and truths that prove Reindogs are the real hero's of Christmas. Just because the Reindeer could claim endangered status and could afford better lobbyists and public relations firms does not make it right that they should continue getting the credit and all the good parts in the movies while dogs do all of the work.

We put a lot of the blame on the error on National Geographic Magazine. Years ago a photographer was at the North Pole taking photos. All the reindeer were out in front of Santa's house, trying to beg carrots from the visitors. The hard working Reindogs were sound asleep on Santa's hearth, basking in the heat from the fire, resting up for their long night of pulling Santa's sleigh. So photos of reindeer ended up in the national press at Christmas time and the big lie began.

The reference in the poem “Twas the night before Christmas” to Santa and his eight tiny reindeer was an error; reindeer was easier for the writer to rhyme with than Reindogs. He knew that the eight members of Santa’s team were Reindogs, he just used poetic license. Talk about an inconvenient truth!

Who is it that pulls sleds and sleighs at Santa's home at the North Pole? It’s Dogs, not deer. Go look at the annual Iditarod race results and see how many teams of reindeer finished last year? There were over 50 teams with over 1,000 dogs and not a reindeer among them. If those reindeer are so good at pulling sleds, why don't they win the Iditarod race? How many Eskimos use reindeer to hunt walrus and seals? Just open your National Geographic magazine and see for yourself. They don't show pictures of Eskimos hunting polar bears with reindeer. They use dogs!

Still not convinced? Santa’s last name is “Claus”, not Hoofs or Horns. They just misspelled Claws. It’s that poetic license thing again. So who has Claws? Not reindeer, but Reindogs do! Reindeer with their sharp, hard hooves could never keep their footing on the steep and slippery roofs that they have to land the sleigh on, but a dog’s paws with claws and pads grip the ice and snow to keep their footing on the roof. At the end of the poem “He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,” finally the writer got it right. You don't whistle at deer, you whistle at dogs!

Seriously, do you think that reindeer can fly through the trees and around all the power lines with those big antlers? They would get tangled up at every turn. And we all know that dogs can fly, watch the Frisbee throwing competition, or the dock diving contests, the dogs have to keep their jumps under control to keep from giving our secret powers away.

One "Santa" pointed out that Santa's rounds might go faster if his Reindogs did not have to stop and smell each fire hydrant on their rounds, but we don't think he was a "real" Santa. That argument does not hold water, we have to stop with Santa on every street anyway. Those sniffs are how we update the long "Naughty and Nice List" that has to be kept up to date, even on Christmas Eve. Long before E-mail was invented, Reindogs used Scent-Mail (or P-mail as some would say) to find little boys and girls homes. Lets see a reindeer do that!

It is well known that “Dogs are man’s best friend”, but somehow you believe that reindeer bring your presents? That is the kind of logic that made Mr. Spock glad he was not human. Dogs are recognized as man’s best friend because we are responsible for bringing everyone their Christmas gifts, for protecting them and for bringing joy to children. Beginning at the manger, 2,000 years ago in Bethlehem, when the very first Christmas presents were delivered, a dog guided the Wise Men to the stable, A dog stood watch over the gifts and the Christ child all night long. History suggests that the bright star that guided the Wise Men was Sirius, the Dog Star (check Wickipedia to verify this). Hence the origins of Christmas and Reindogs!

If you were Santa and it was your job to ‘Fetch” toys to children all over the world in one night, who would you turn to, reindeer or Reindogs? Not only are Reindogs the real heroes of Christmas, but Santa’s Reindogs are Golden Retrievers. Look at the pictures, are they golden colored? Are they long legged? Are they intelligent? Do they "fetch" toys to millions of boys and girls in one night? Go to any dog park and see how many reindeer are playing fetch and bring tennis balls to little boys and girls. Golden Retrievers make children’s faces light up by fetching them toys and balls, doing every day what they do for millions of children on Christmas Eve. Just try throwing a ball for a reindeer and see how good they are at "fetching". Proof the Reindogs are Golden Retrievers!

Dogs can be trained, they obey commands. Dogs can come, sit, and even go to little Billy's house on Santa's Command. Try telling your neighborhood Reindeer to "go to little Billy's house", and see what happens. Nothing!

How do you think Santa keeps his "Naughty and Nice List" up to date? There are millions of hard working dogs keeping track of the children on their block. All than barking at night is not just noise, it is the Elf Dogs relaying the updates for the Naughty and Nice list back to Santa. When you see children out playing in the park, it is always with their dog, not their reindeer! More proof that reindeer are just a myth.

You all have heard that according to long standing tradition, you are asked to leave milk and cookies out for Santa and his team. Who do you suppose drinks all of that milk and eats all those cookies? Reindogs, that's who. Reindeer eat hay dummy, if you don't believe me go search Wikipedia. This year we are trying to start a new tradition, instead of milk and cookies, could you leave a good scotch and some chew toys? That way Santa and his Reindogs will all be happy!

The story of Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindog has long been a family tradition in our family. According to our family history that has been handed down from mouth to ear for many generations, Rudolph is an ancestor of mine. It all started with Great,great,great, great, great grandpaw. He had an extraordinary nose and had long used his special talent to track lost explorers and packages at the North Pole. He had a red nose from following scent trails in deep snow, his nose used to get cold and red from the exposure to snow and cold. One foggy Christmas eve Santa needed help in finding the route to take for his scheduled Christmas Eve run. Rudolph G. Retriever stepped forward and offered to guide the team by scent, tracking good little boys and girls with his nose, thus saving Christmas that year and establishing a wonderful family tradition, that is until the reindeer lobby stepped in to take credit for it all. As further proof, when police need to track a missing child, do they call in the reindeer to do the tracking? No, they ask dogs to follow the trail and find the child. Don't you just hate it when you work hard and someone else takes credit for all of your hard work?

Most of the crowded dog shelters and homeless dogs are directly caused by this travesty. Millions of unemployed Reindogs have been thrown out of work by the upstart reindeer. The reindeer take all the good parts in the Christmas plays, manger scenes and movies, leaving Reindogs truly out in the cold. A travesty I tell you!

The Golden Retrievers of the world will be waiting for our apology from the press. We will expect the artists and movie producers to book Golden Retrievers for the publicity shots and movie roles so that at long last Reindogs will get the credit due them. We need you to help us spread the word and reverse this great lie. Help us keep this great dream alive and tell others about the great heritage that has been stolen from us. Fear not, children, Santa and his team of Reindogs will be there for you on Christmas Eve!

Friday, December 23, 2011

Daisy came to stay with us over Christmas. Daisy is about 8 months, and still a ball of energy. I may lose weight before she leaves. She is from Boulder, so she loves the deep snow and running in the back yard. As you can see, she is not very civilised, she even attacked me when I was laying down.

She is learning to mouth wrestle, I give lessons several times a day.

I have been teaching her the finer points of Tug-o-war. She has stolen my bed, but I guess since it is the Christmas season, I will let her have it.

Meanwhile, The Paw Challenged One (TPCO), has been out "Being the Santa". He spent several weeks as the official Santa in Littleton. Now he is running around the neighborhood having his photo taken with all the good looking young ladies. We worry about him.

Daisy will be joining us as one of Santa's Reindogs, pulling the sleigh, as we deliver the presents on Christmas Eve. Tomorrow's post will be detailing our duties as Reindogs. Remember to leave dog treats under the Christmas tree for Santa's Reindogs.

Monday, December 19, 2011

We have been following "Raising Ruby" for a long time. Today is a special blog for Ruby, Ruby became a full fledged service dog, complete with her new life companion. We would like to give you a link to the site, so that you can go back and read her history and share her growth and training. Raising Ruby is about raising a service dog from a puppy to a full fledged service dog. Reading the blog is a great journey. Raising Ruby

Sunday, December 18, 2011

The day before Thanksgiving we discovered that Sarah was missing. We went into full search mode, checking with animal shelters, walking the neighborhood, talking to vets, etc. No Sarah, but the search did bring Stray Cat to the house. Sarah was our attempt to help out the Paw Challenged One's daughter and son in law, so they would not have to drive to Florida with three golden retrievers and a cat as well. Thinking to save everyone a lot of trouble, we took Sarah, the dog hating cat. She lived with three dogs, but she hated them, she never did stop hissing at them and swatting them.

Then Friday night they were in the basement. They were cleaning the litter boxes and water bowls for Mini Cat, she likes to eat in the basement where it is quiet. They hear a cat meowing up in a dark corner and there was Sarah. She had been living in the basement for three weeks without anyone finding her. They had taken flashlights and searched the nooks and crannies, but no Sarah. Then suddenly there is Sarah.

She still hates dogs, but she is back with us. She had spent enough time in the basement and she was ready to move upstairs and get attention. Now she is demanding attention and hissing at Mini Cat and Stray Cat, as well as attaching Bella and I. The Paw Challenged One's say they would have figured out Sarah was here sooner if she did not look so much like Stray Cat. They would see a streak down a hall or across the floor and they could not be sure if it was Stray Cat or Sarah. Then they finally had all cats in sight at one time, and they could count them. There was an extra cat in the house, Sarah. Sarah is more orange than Stray Cat, but they do look a lot alike.

This story gets even more complicated and strange after they took Stray Cat to the vet and found out she was chipped. Home Again called the registered owners and left a message that their cat had been found, no answer. The vet called the owners and left a message, no answer. Then we called the owners and left a message, no answer. Either they are on extended vacation, or they don't want Stray Cat returned. So Stray Cat is still with us, enjoying the good life, settling in more and more each day.

Too much about cats, we will return to our regular dog blogging shortly.

Friday, December 16, 2011

Whatever you do, Don't Name the Cat! Bella warned them, I warned them, but no! They named the cat! We all know what happens when they name a stray cat, once the cat has a name, it stays. We tried to tell them they needed to keep calling it "That Stray Cat". But Noooo. Do they listen to us? They named the cat. Don't ask what they named it, Bella and I are still too upset. We still call it "That Stray Cat". It is a defective cat to boot, it has large scars on its side where it was hit by a car or by a dog or coyote, and the last two inches of its tail is bent over double. Just in case anyone knows where its real home is, we have included photos of That Stray Cat. If you can help us find its real home, please do. Otherwise, we are going to be stuck with a cat.

The Paw Challenged Ones volunteered to drive to Hays Kansas to pick up a friend's car that had broken down. They returned after a long day, over 680 miles traveled, tired and ready for bed. They said that visiting Hays Kansas was not as exciting as it sounds. They said it was not at all like the travel brochure described. They said there was not a single white sand beach, no gently waving palm trees, and no one welcomed them at the city limits sign with leis and drinks with little umbrellas in them. But they did return with the car, now repaired. They will put it on the "good deeds done list", and hope to get a good dinner or a great bottle of wine out of the deal.

Above, the look of pure evil!

Our cousins and family are in Florida, so we will have a very calm Christmas this year. Bella and I got a duck and a parrot early, in hopes it would keep us busy. I hope Santa has another one to deliver on Christmas eve, we have almost worn them out already.

Before they went on their errand to Kansas, Lanai was dropped off at Rescue Central, she had several people scheduled to meet her. We have not heard back yet, but we hope she is enjoying a new home. The Paw Challenged One is planning on making the trip over to take in another homeless Golden Retriever for Christmas.

Saturday, December 3, 2011

We bring great news! Only three days and Lion has a new Forever Home. His profile was posted on the Internet, and immediately there were people wanting to meet him. When Colleen picked him up from us to take him to see a possible new home, we were very worried. For our new readers, a foster failure is what happens when a person takes in a rescue dog to foster them, then refuses to give them up when someone wants to adopt them. Colleen is a rescue volunteer, but she is also a very well known Serial Foster Failure. She failed when she fostered River, the Golden that was found in the White River Wilderness area, at 10,000 feet, on a trail, starved and tired. She failed with Riley, all she had to do was let him go to a new home. She failed with Sara, Sara never had a chance at finding a different home, Sara was doomed from the moment that Colleen volunteered, "I will foster her". Some of you will remember River and Riley from the summer swim parties. Now Colleen has Lion. We were worried. It turned out to be a good day, some friends of Colleen's were looking for the worlds most perfect dog. When word got out that Lion was available there was a rush to adopt, there was even a second home on a waiting list for him.

Colleen reported back that Lion proved himself to be cat friendly. When he went into the new home to meet the family, one of the cats came out to sniff him and then rub against his legs. Lion did not even move an eye. He was focused on the family and all the other good things in store for him. They are an active family, they jog and run, they will enroll him in obedience, they have a big yard, and someone is home most of the day. He agreed that being an only dog might be fun, he was going to have a great dog to hand ratio. Thanks to Colleen for linking them up, also thanks to Colleen for not adopting him before they could get to meet him. Lion is going to have a life we will all envy. Way to go Colleen.

Above, Beth and Roxie get acquainted. The Christmas season would not be complete without a report on Winky. Loyal readers will remember Winky, she was called Beth when she lived with us. When she was rescued she was called "Handsome", she was in such bad condition that they thought she was a male. Beth was so tiny, so scared, and so abused, she did not even look like a golden. Go to the blog on August 9th and read about a rescue that will break your heart. Winky makes us all remember why we rescue. Where is she today? She is living the life of a spoiled golden. We gave you a photo of Winky at the Reunion Picnic, then another photo from the Halloween party., Now we have exclusive photo's of Winky in her Christmas outfit.

We are so happy that Winky has such a wonderful home. They take special care of her and she is learning what it is to be a well loved golden with a real home. We keep returning to Winky because she reminds us what rescue is all about. Thanks to the family that took her in and takes such good care of her.

Have a very Merry Christmas, Winky!

Several people have been asking about Lanai, but the roads are bad, snow is falling, so we will have to wait to introduce her to her fan club.

Friday, December 2, 2011

We thought we would share the profile of Lion that we are putting up on the adoption web site. We did send the profile to some friends, we think he is such a special boy that we are willing to call our family and friends to see if they need a great golden. We may have delayed putting him up on the web for just a little bit to see if any one we knew wanted him. That is not cheating, is it?

Lion is an 18-19 month old neutered bouncing baby golden boy. Lion has been staying with us at our foster home since we picked him up from his former home. We think he is a wonderful dog, waiting for a wonderful new forever home. His family went through a divorce and a downsizing of their home. They were truly heartbroken to surrender him. Lion lived with children and cats in his former home. He was a beautiful bouncing baby Golden boy, loved by all.

Lion lives with three cats and three other Goldens in his foster home and he gets along with everyone. He has a great energy level, he would love a family that is active. He needs to shed a few pounds that he picked up while trying to live in a crate during his families transition. He is very focused on people. He wants to be a snuggle dog, he wants to be under your hand if you are sitting, and under your feet if you are moving. He is the ultimate Velcro dog, staying beside you where ever you are.

He knows sit, come, and No! He is very smart and very focused on commands, tell him No and he stops in his tracks. He needs formal training, but we think he will be very fast to learn and he will be a delight to train. He started learning about the dog door within hours of arriving. He wants to please you and will work hard at learning.

He is housetrained, he will bark at the back door if you ignore him standing at the door. He was left alone for long periods of time, so he is fine if you go shopping or to work for the day. He is used to spending time in the crate while his family was at work.

We think he will be a wonderful addition to your life. He is a wonderful Golden, put a bow on him and call him an early Christmas present. Ask to meet Lion when you fill out your adoption application.